Trump Says Iran's Nuclear Uranium Is 'Entombed' and US Has 'No Reason' to Retrieve It — Major Shift in War Demands

On June 4, 2026 (Day 501 / Iran War Day 96), President Trump significantly softened his nuclear demands on Iran, telling reporters that Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is 'entombed' under collapsed tunnels and rubble from US B-2 bomber strikes — and that the US has 'no reason' to retrieve it. Trump said the material is now effectively inaccessible: 'Every angle of those three sites is being watched at all times.' He also revealed that at the very start of the war, he had considered dispatching US special operations troops to airlift out the buried uranium — a massive logistical operation that would have taken 'two weeks or more' with 'massive equipment' — but rejected the plan as too risky, invoking the memory of President Carter's failed 1980 Iran hostage rescue operation ('I didn't feel like being like Jimmy Carter'). Trump's statement represents a notable retreat from his previous demand that Iran physically hand over its 440.9 kg of highly enriched uranium as a condition of any peace deal. The shift came as US officials acknowledged Iranian negotiators had provided verbal assurances on some nuclear issues but resisted putting commitments in writing. The Times of Israel reported Trump separately indicated he did not need a deal with Iran to secure the uranium, reinforcing his position that the military campaign had already achieved key nuclear objectives. Iran's government was reviewing the new posture; Hezbollah separately rejected a US-proposed Lebanon-Israel ceasefire framework, complicating the broader diplomatic picture.